Links of the Day, January 13by Justinin linkson Posted on 13 January, 2010 News A 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti yesterday. Check out pictures here and here. (Warning: some disturbing images.) Afghan civilian deaths were up in 2009. Google may pull out of China! Miscellaneous Check out Prof Rah’s take on "Avatar." and “The Blind Side.” 100 free (or nearly free) things to do in DC. A year in music videos from Asian American artists.
![[tw/cw: spiritual abuse]
Over the dozen years I've been in pastoral ministry, one of the biggest reasons that I've encountered for folks' disillusionment with God and faith and Jesus and Christianity is the chasm between what Jesus was like and what his followers — and especially those who claim to speak for him — are like.
It is hypocrisy, it is spiritual abuse, it is a lack of integrity, it is misuse of power and platform, it is exclusion and marginalization and oppression. These sins can so undercut the witness and words of Christians that it is no wonder people question whether Jesus actually makes any positive difference, whether Jesus is actually worth following.
A couple of weeks ago, I addressed this in a sermon on the Parable of the Tenants (Mark 12:1-12), because that is what Jesus was addressing — those who claim to speak for God but do what God would not do: engage in religious exclusion, economic oppression, and spiritual abuse.
It led me to share, for the first time in public, my own experience with spiritual abuse.
I hope this offers some healing for those in need.
Read more: https://www.justinbfung.com/2023/02/06/spiritual-abuse-and-starting-to-heal/
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